A petition has been filed at WhiteHouse.gov for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High student Peter Wang to receive a full honors military burial.
Wang was one of the 17 people murdered at the school Wednesday. He died in his JROTC uniform helping others escape the gunfire at the school, the Sun Sentinel reported Sunday.
According to the petition, the 15-year-old Wang "was a JROTC Cadet who was last seen, in uniform, holding doors open and thus allowing other students, teachers, and staff to flee to safety. Wang was killed in the process. His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area. Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial."
Some 18,000 people had already signed the petition by Sunday night, but it needs a total of 100,000 by March 18 for there to be a response from the White House.
The White House has not responded to any of the petitions fulfilling the 100,000-signature requirement since President Donald Trump took office, although officials promised they would begin responding to the petitions soon, The Hill reported.
Wang wanted to attend the U.S. Military Academy West Point, according to the Sun Sentinel. He is scheduled to be buried Tuesday.
Wang's cousin, 16-year-old Aaron Chen, described how Wang helped him when he had a hard time getting used to the United States after immigrating from China a decade ago, the Miami Herald reported.
"Being the new kid sucks, but imagine being the new kid that couldn't speak English," Chen said. "Peter made sure I wasn't bullied. Even though he was a whole year younger than me, he protected me, and I couldn't protect him during the shooting."
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